Michelle Onmonya—an avid reader

Michelle Onmonya is a eleven year old student from St. Mary’s School, Dubai. She is an avid year-round reader who has a strong love for books. Even if you don’t share Michelle ’s intensity for the written word—her sheer enthusiasm will have you comparing your own reading habits with hers—and appreciating what a lifetime of reading can bring. Her history with books is a long and colourful one. Her very first memories are of of her mother Ruth Onmonya, a teacher seating her and her older brother on her lap and reading out Stories to them. She remembers being fascinated by the colourful illustrations. For her, books were like a treasure She couldn’t wait to devour on her own. Reading serves every area of her life. It is her education, her entertainment, her security, her spiritual experience, and most of all, her one lasting passion.

Michelle is from Nigeria. Her Hobbies include: Reading & Writing, Artistic drawing & Singing. Her favourite sports are; track race, skating and Basketball. She secured the Oxford school Dubai “All rounder” academic award for junior year in 2018. A 1st Star achiever of the year in 2019. She won 1st place position in the Junior grade Royal spelling Bee school level competition in 2019. She secured for her school a 2nd position in the Dubai Grade mental Maths Competition in 2019 and a 1st position in elementary school competition for junior grade in 2019.She also received several other medals to her credit in the area of sports.

Tell me about yourself.

My name is Michelle Onmonya, I am 11 years old and I like to Sing, read, dance, write, play basketball, and swim. I’m that person who believes that anything is possible if I show interest in it, so I read wide.

Tell me about your family.

I am from a family of five, My parent, my sister, my brother and I. My father is an engineer and my mother is a teacher. We are one happy family.

What are three of your strengths and three areas of growth or challenges.

My areas of strengths include: Good communication, love to assist people and team-play.

The areas in which I desire growth or I find challenging include : Inability to focus on one thing for a long time, following through with a long term task, coping with difficult people.

What three adjectives describe your personality.

tech-savvy, outgoing and brave.

what personal achievement are you most proud of?

Winning an all-rounder academic award in 2018.

What do you read outside of school?

I read Manga novels, fiction and non-fiction books.

What extracurricular activities are you interested in?

I’m interested in Basketball, track and field, debate, spelling and public speaking.

If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive, who would you meet and why. 

I would like to meet William Shakespeare because his books are great and the plots of his books are heartfelt and amazing, so meeting him would be an honor.

What has happened recently that interests you.

The outbreak of Corona Virus ( Covid-19) pandemic which started many months ago and is still ongoing. Cases are increasing which leads to loss of many lives and jobs. People have been greatly affected. My interest is in those whose jobs expose them to the Corona Virus  (the Front-liners) , they sacrifice so much to keep the society safe,  A big Thank You to them.) I wish I can find a way that I can be of  help to those people in need, no matter how small it might seem.

What is your favorite subject and why?

My favorite subject is English literature because I generally love reading and writing, reading takes me to a completely different world and it release my imagination .Reading is like watching the TV in my head. Writing lets me be me as I express myself to other people, every word I write is a reflection of myself since I can create another world where anything is possible so others  can  look into that world.

What is your least favorite subject and why?

If I have to pick a subject I didn’t like, it will be Biology, because I don’t see how it relates to what I wish to study and pursue in future.